How about looking in the Holy Bible (Jeremiah 10: 1-11) to see what God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit says instead of what other people say and do. If we truly want to obey God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit, then we will not listen to nor try to keep up with the “Joneses”. Instead, we will look in the Holy Bible and read that God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit disapproves of this. When Emmanuel was born, Joseph did not go out and cut down a tree to decorate to celebrate Emmanuel, God With Us. Nor did Joseph and Mary hang holly and mistletoe, nor did they decorate any other way. Emmanuel’ birth was a very HUMBLE and HOLY time, which if you all would read your Holy Bible faithfully everyday, you would see that God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit demands 100 %reverence from us. HE will not tolerate us splitting our love, time, everything between HIM and any other “god” that we choose to hoar around with. That is what idolatry is: “spiritual harlotry”.

Hey! I did not create the heavens and the earth, nor did I create all living things. I did not create the Holy Bible, BUT the ONE who did create all these, I love, respect, and reverence HIM enough to know that while I am saved, HE still expects me to strive to please HIM. Mocking HIM and hoaring around with other “gods” is not loving, respecting, reverencing, nor pleasing HIM.

You can complain and call me every name in the book, but reality is that it is not me you are fighting against, it is God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit that you are fighting against, and you will lose.

NOW who’s being anti-IFB?!? Most IFB churches do have a Christmas tree, or at least most people in the IFB do, as far as I know. And my SBC church has 2 trees, and most of the people who go to church there have at least one in their home. Heck, most Christians that I know of have Christmas trees, and the few that don’t it’s because they just don’t want to bother with the putting up, decorating, and taking down when the season is over!

Fortunately for our new artificial tree, our cats are getting along in years, and no longer regard climbing the tree as their yearly challenge. Thanks to them–and their predecessors–we’ve had more than one tree end up crashing to the floor.

@Not In the Clique
Just a note, saying “God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit” instead of just using one name of God at a time doesn’t make you sound more spiritual, it just sounds silly. The Bible itself doesn’t even throw five or six names together and call it “emphasis.”

And lighten up. You can still have great reverence for God, and still celebrate Christmas in a way that doesn’t seek to deliberately alienate everyone else around you. 😛

What is the point of this comment? You are saying the Bible says we shouldn’t put up a tree or decorate? For all your whining about how much better you are than everyone, you seem to have eisegeted that part into the text.

NITC,
I get the feeling that you are insecure about how spiritual you are. And you are fighting that feeling by saying “Well, at least I’m more spiritual than the group at SFL!” But, NITC, that feeling might actually be God calling you more to Himself, making you aware of how shaky trying to measure your spirtuality is. You see, spirituality is NOT a contest. And God’s grace is bigger than we all are. If you take a measure of spirituality, no matter what measurement you use, some people will always be “less spiritual” than you are, and some will always be “more spiritual.” Therefore, if you make being spiritual a contest, you will always feel insecure about it. No, what we all need to do is fall on God’s grace. And when we do that, we will realize that God loves us all and that we do not need to compare our spirituality with others.

Paul, I had that exact same thought! And, of course, such an attitude is self-defeating. Are IFB church buildings in the Bible? Are bus ministries in the Bible? (Heck, are buses in the Bible?) Are altar calls in the Bible? Are Sunday Schools in the Bible? Are suits and ties in the Bible? Are long shapeless denim skirts in the Bible?

Most of the trappings of modern Christian life — across all denominations, including IFB — are not in the Bible. So what? The Bible was never intended to be an Encyclopedia of Everything. 😆

Actually, God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit tells you what HE thinks of your Christmas Tree in Jeremiah 10: 1-11. If you would read your Holy Bible faithfully everyday, you would know this; but somehow I am beginning to see that even if people on this site were to open up their Holy Bible and read it faithfully everyday, they would intentionally willfully disobey God, which such disobedience is nothing more than rebellion, and God considers rebellion as witchcraft.

Yes this is in the Holy Bible! Please people! Please consider what wickedness you are committing! Are your souls so worthless to you that you want to be in hell and then the Lake of Fire? If you were given the gift of seeing what hell and the Lake of Fire looks like; if you were given the gift of seeing the future (ex: It’s A Wonderful Life) you would change your ways quickly. Knowing this, why are you so rebellious just because you did not see it yet? Is your faith in the truth of the God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit of the Holy Bible non-existent that you spit at God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit’ through mockery, belligerence, rebellion, hatred for HIM and for others, idolatry, and much, much more?

PLEASE! DO NOT DO THIS TO YOURSELVES!

It is appointed unto man to die once and then the judgment. Once you are in eternity, wherever that is, if you decide you do not like where you are, you cannot say to God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit “Hey Lord! I don’t like it down here. I want to change my reservations!” YOU ARE STUCK FOR EVER! There are no U-TURNS, no second chances, no cancellation or change of reservations, no bribing the JUDGE nor the angels, no getting out on “good behavior”, no parole, NO ESCAPE.

It does not matter whether you believe me or not. What matters is the only thing that matters: do you believe God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit? Because, HE IS REAL.

Not believing me does not matter. Not believing God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit does matter and has devastating consequences in the end. So, instead of spending your life wondering if I am real or not, spend your life, however long that is, believing, trusting, knowing, and serving God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit faithfully. Because, one day you will meet HIM face to face and if HE was never real to you………………….

You aren’t the first to trot out that passage and misuse it, and you won’t be the last. But you add yourself to the List of the Ludicrous by doing so. That passage isn’t talking about Christmas trees. It’s talking about idols carved from wood. I understood that the first time I read the passage, when I was nine years old.

Sometimes, you have really good comments. Other times…

Well.

I used to consider myself to be the King of the Long Posts, but after some of your recent efforts, I prostrate myself in humble acknowledgement of your superiority. Wow!

One last thing. What is with the “God Jesus Christ Holy Spirit” construct? Are you trying to remind yourself of the Trinity or something?

I actually have four trees in my house all decorated a different theme. We do not worship them but enjiy their beauty and the memories they bring to us. Sorry ” not in the clique” you have it wrong. We arent taking anything away from Jesus. I’m enjoying my decorations just as I do for every holiday I decorate for including 4th of july flags and banners to celebrate independence.

No kidding! It’s like eating you can make some Ramen noodles and that would be your Christmas meal. I remember some students being so poor, they couldn’t even go HOME for Christmas! Thank God I lived only a little over an hour away from Maranatha b/c I used to drive home for the weekend to get away from the insanity.

I always hated the way they would make you fill out that stupid sheet once a week on where you went to church. We had to go three times a week or we would get demerits even if we were home.

I always thought that I grew up very strict, but we always had a Christmas tree, and I didn’t realize that anyone ever had a problem with it. Then I met someone in my former church who told me that at their former church, they had a pamphlet discussing the “true” symbolism behind the Christmas decorations. A tree in it’s normal position represented an erect penis. A tree upside down (see the Standards tree) looks like a vagina. A wreath represents intercourse. After all, holes must be filled 🙄

I would love to see a compilation of all the wacky “true” symbolism behind various things. I’ve heard an IFB preacher say that the US flag is a symbol of the Gospel witness in the world. Think about it: the stars in the field of blue remind us of the starry sky (a picture of heaven) and then we think, “how can I get there?” The Bible says by his STRIPES (7 red, 6 white = more symbolism) we are healed. Craziness.

That was my thought too. Why would anyone look at a tree and think about it being upside down? The mental gymnastics required to think of these things are truly impressive. Honestly, that was one of the things (in addition to others, such as their “Slit Book” which was about all the different types of skirt slits, which are acceptable, and how to sew or pin them so they would be modest) that made me really start wondering why “we” are/were so worried about such trivial things.

I’ve seen upside-trees before, kind of a joke, but some few folks enjoy them. Supposedly they’re easier to deal with, as they certainly don’t take up as much room, and you don’t have to deal with Leaning Tree Horror. 😯

JeseC: I already said I have cats, and that’s why I don’t have a Christmas tree (see thread above).
That’s why I said *some* pets. I was thinking maybe of small dogs or miniature pigs, or other creatures with limited jumping and climbing ability.

While the right-side up tree I can understand, (and is there any erect tall thing that DOESN’T represent a penis 😯 😳 🙄 ?) I have looked and looked at the upside-down one and can’t see anything even remotely like a vagina. The wreath makes more sense as one, but that’s not what the MOG said. Maybe I’m just not Christian enough.
But I’m never going to leave a wreath next to my Christmas tree again.

I think people see penises all over the place because that is what’s on their mind. That shape is merely an efficient shape. Hence jets are that shape and that’s why sharks are shaped like that.
As Freud may have said “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”.

Thus, in celebration of the Birth of Jesus (Christmas), we have:
+ a tree (remembrance of what Jesus did on the cross which is called a tree).
+ lights and ornaments (representational of the glory, and wonder of what Jesus did on the cross).
+ a star at the top, representing the star that was above Jesus Christ at his birth time.
+ and we give gifts (God gave us the gift of Jesus on his birth, the wise men gave Jesus birthday presents, and Jesus gave us the gift of salvation on the tree. We continue in the tradition by following in the joy of giving gifts.)

Our cat Toaster was chewing on our artificial tree today. I yelled a stern, “No!” He ignored me. So I started to whack his rear with the paperback book I was reading. Then he looked confused like, “Why is the tree making my butt hurt?”

I had a cat who did chew the lights cord, and burned his lips. There was a big flash, and he ran across the house before I could figure out what happened. The vet gave me sour apple spray and cream to put on anything I didn’t want him to chew. WORKED!

Wondering what would have happened if the IFB pastor was on the receiving end (instead of giving, apparently) the “Ministry Staff Tree” (aka the Charlie Brown tree). Would make a very interesting scene at the next board meeting or service.